Change at Blue Springs dealership brings community focus

Jon David, the general manager of the new Fenton Nissan in Blue Springs wants to make an impact in his community.

"I started in the car business in Dallas 20 years ago," David said, "and it’s ironic that now I’m working for the Fenton family here in Blue Springs and they started their automotive business in Oklahoma in 1950 and expanded to Dallas, Texas, with their home base in Tyler.

"I never knew them when I was working in Dallas, but now I know the family and they are special people – and this is going to be a special dealership in the Blue Springs community."

The former McCarthy Nissan dealership at 30303 South Outer Road is now part of the Fenton group that has holdings in Texas and Oklahoma and three area sites – Blue Springs, Lee’s Summit and the Northland at Tiffany Springs.

"When you walk in our door, you’re going to notice the difference," David said. "We want to be involved in this community. We want to be a part of this community. We are customer friendly and we promise to offer the best service and overall experience of any dealership in the state.

"That’s how father and son Brad and Lance Fenton built their business and that’s how we’re going to build this dealership in Blue Springs."

Showing he's serious about becoming part of the community, recently David’s Fenton dealership donated $200 for every Blue Springs High School football touchdown and $100 for every first down. All the money went to Blue Springs High.

"Eight touchdowns in the first half and nine total and I don’t even remember how many first downs that night," David said chuckling, as the Class 6 state champions scored a season-high 63 points in a 63-21 state quarterfinal win over Lee’s Summit at Peve Stadium, "but it was a big night, and we were proud to be a part of it."

The night did pose a memorable family moment for David and his 11-year-old daughter Riley, who greeted her father at the door when he arrived home.

"She was watching the game on TV and saw the score and all the touchdowns and first downs, and she said, ‘Daddy, are you going to get fired for giving all that money away?’" David said. "I told her that daddy was going to be fine. It was just a great night. We had a banner at the stadium, we drove one of our cars out on the field and I’d never seen that many people at a high school game.

"An event like that is taking it back to the grassroots, and that’s what we’re going to do here at Fenton."

As David talks about the impact he wants to make on the community, sales manager Keith Snyder pops into the office and talks about the impact the Fenton family has made on the workers at the dealership.

"The Fentons are the most positive people I’ve ever worked with," Snyder said. "If you have a bad month, well, they say, ‘You had a bad month, go out and have a better one.’ You don’t find a lot of people like that in the auto business.

"You don’t find many people like that in any business. They’re just the best."

And David believes the same can be said about his Nissan product.

"Safety, No. 1," David said, when asked about the Nissan line. "They’re built in the United States in Smyrna, Tenn., affordable, classy and when you buy a car from Fenton, we offer lifetime free oil changes and a great service department.

"All we ask is that you give us a try. We’ll take it from there."

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